Elevator-cage.



No. 831,248. PATENTED SEPT. 18, 1906. G. F. STEEDMAN.

ELEVATOR GAGE.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 12, 1906.

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PATENTED SEPT. 18, 1906.

G. F. STEEDMAN ELEVATOR GAGE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.12, 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELEVATOR-CAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 18, 1906.

Application filed March 12, 1906. Serial No. 305.652.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. STEEDMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Elevator-Cages, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a knockdown elevator-cageembodying the features of my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofthe cage shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is asectional view on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a view, partly insection, taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 6 is a sectional viewon the line 6 6 of Fig. 4.

This invention relates to elevators, and particularly to the cages ofelevators. 4

The main object of my invention is to pro- 1 vide a knockdownelevator-cagenamely, one that can be built complete at the factory andshipped in disassembled or knockdown form to the place where theelevator is to be installed, thereby obviating the necessity ofemploying a skilled mechanic to set up the elevator-cage and insuring alow freight classification in shipment.

Another object of my invention is to provide an elevator-cage that isvery rigid and comprising few parts and which can be easily convertedfrom a nonsafety-device cage to a safety-device cage. Thesafety deviceis also of novel form, as well as other features which will behereinafter pointed out.

Prior to my invention it has been the gen eral practice to either shipthe cage assembled from the factory to the place where the elevator wasinstalled or else ship the parts of the cage and send an experiencedelevatorman to put the cage together. If the cage is shipped assembled,the freight-rate on the same is exceedingly high on account of theheight and bulkiness of the cage, and if all of the parts are shippeddisassembled and an experienced elevator-man is sent to put the partstogether the cost of his services enhances greatly the cost ofmanufacture of the elevator. My improved knockdown elevator-cagecomprises very few parts namely, a platform part, which is built at thefactory and shipped complete, and an upper part,

which is built at the factory and shipped complete, the upper part lyingfiat upon the platform part, so that the cage occupies very littlespace, and accordingly can be shipped at a low freight classification.When the cage arrives at the place where the elevator is to beinstalled, the upper part can be attached to the platform part by simplydriving a few rivets, so that it is unnecessary to employ a skilledmechanic to set up the cage.

Referring to the drawings, which represent the preferred form of myinvention, 1 designates the floor of the platform, which preferablyconsists of wood and is supported by horizontal members 2, extending thefull width of the platform at the front and back, and side horizontalmembers 3, extending the full length of the platform. These horizontalmembers preferably consist of chanl IlelS which are secured together inthe form of a rectangle, and thus a very rigid construction is produced.

I have shown only one-half of the cage in the drawings; but it will ofcourse be understood that the other half of the cage is identical withthat shown. Secured to each of the side horizontal members 3 by rivets 4is a casting which is of novel construction and forms one of theimportant features of my cage. Said casting consists of ears 5, thatembrace the guide 6 on the elevatorframe, on which the cage travels, anupwardly-proj ecting portion 7, that is secured to a vertical membercomprising a portion of the upper part of the cage, bearings 9, whichreceive the rock-shafts 10, comprising part of the safety devices, andsurface 11, which cooperates with buffers 12 on the elevator-frame. Theupper part of the cage consists of two horizontal members 13, preferablychannels, which are secured by rivets 14 to castings having cars 15,which embrace the guide of the elevatorframe, said castings extendingbetween said horizontal members, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Onthe upper portion of each of said castings is a boss 16, that receives acylindrical buffer 17, which cooperates with a surface on theelevator-frame,

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in Fig. 2, the lower portion of said vertical member being secured tothe upwardly-projecting portion. 7 of the casting of the platform partby rivets 22, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2,) which rivets 22 areadapted to be driven at the place where the elevator is setup.

The platform part of the cage, comprising the wooden floor, horizontalmembers 2, and side members 3, with the castings connected thereto, isassembled at the factory, and the upper part of the cage, comprising thevertical members 20, horizontal members 13, and castings connecting themtogether, is assembled at the factory. These two parts are placed one ontop of the other for shipment and are connected together to form thecomplete cage by simply driving the rivets 22 as previously described.To strengthen the cage, diagonal braces or cross-rods 23 and 24 arecarried by the castings of the upper part of the cage and are adapted tobe secured to the platform part when the cage is set up, the uppercastings being provided with openings through which the braces 24 extendand with ears or lugs 25, through which the braces 23 extend, and thelower castings being provided with cars 25 to receive the braces 24.Pref erably, safety devices are provided at the bottom of the cage, aswell as at the top of the so that in case the cage is provided witheagle a eavy load and the hoisting apparatus should break said safetydevices would become operative and prevent the platform part of the cagefrom being torn away from the upper part of the cage, this being liableto occur inv case the cage were provided with safety devices only at thetop. The safety devices which I have herein shown consist of pairs ofdogs 26 and 27 at the top and bottom of the cage, respectively, saiddogs being rigidly connected to the rock-shafts 19 and 10. Therock-shafts 19 are provided with arms 28, as shown in Fig. 4, which areconnected by links 29 to a cross-bar 30, carried by a slide 31, which isconnected to the rope 32 of the hoisting apparatus. A spring 33 (shownin dotted lines in Fig. 1) is connected to the horizontal members of theupper part of the cage and extends through an opening 34 in the slide31, so that said spring is normally under compression. In case the ropeof the hoisting apparatus should break, however, said spring beingrelieved will force the slide and cross-bar downwardly, thereby rockingthe shafts 19 to cause the pair of dogs 26 to engage the guide 6 of theelevator-frame. The dogs 26 are connected tothe dogs 27 at the bottom ofthe cage by means of links 36,

so that said dogs will be actuated simul taneously with the upper dogs.If the cage is not provided with the safety devices when it is firstinstalled, it is a very simple matter to add them at any time withoutthe aid of a skilled mechanic, as the castings are provided with thebearings into which the rock-shafts can be inserted, the safety-deviceparts being shipped from the factory to the owner of the elevator. It isobvious that in place of the rope 32 a piston-rod of a direct-actinghoist can be substituted therefor. 1

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is

1. A knockdown elevator-ca e comprising an upper part consisting 0horizontal members, two vertical members and castings permanentlyconnecting said members together, said castings being constructed toreceive said vertical members and being arranged between the horizontalmembers, ears on said castings for embracing the guides on theelevator-frame, and a platform part re movably connected to the verticalmembers of the upper part substantially as described.

2. A knockdown elevator-ca e comprising an upper part consisting 0horizontal members and two vertical members permanently connectedtogether and a platform part consisting of a framework carrying a floor,and castings secured to said framework and provided with portions whichare adapted to be removably connected to the vertical member of theupper part, said castings having buffing-surfacesand ears which embracethe guides on the frame of the elevator substantially as described.

3. A knockdown cage consisting of an upper horizontal member to whichthe hoisting device is attached, vertical members, castings serving toconnect the horizontal member to the vertical members and beingconstructed to receive said members, guide-ears on said castings, alower platform part adapted to be connected to said vertical memberscomprising castings having guide-ears, the upper and lower castin shaving bearin s adapted to receive rock-s afts; substantial y asdescribed.

4. A knockdown cage consisting of an upper horizontal member to whichthe hoisting mechanism is attached, vertical members, a lower platformpart comprising a frame and adapted to be connected to the verticalmembers, upper castin s having guide-ears and bearings for rock-s afts,sa1d castings bein adapted to receive said upper horizonta member andsaid vertical members, and lower castings adapted to receive the frameof said platform part and said vertical members, said' castings havingguide-ears and bearings for rock-shafts, substantially as described.

5. A knockdown cage consisting of an upper horizontal member to whichthe hoisting mechanism is attached, a lower platform part, verticalmembers and diagonal members for connecting the upper member to saidplatform part, upper castin s adapted to receive said horizontal,vertica and diagonal mem- ITO bers provided with guide-ears and bearingsIn testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my for rock-shafts, and lowercastings having signature, in the presence of two Witnesses, guide-earsand bearings for rock-shafts, said this 5th day of March, 1906.

lower castings being constructed to receive GEORGE F. STEEDMAN. 5 theplatform part, the vertical members and Witnesses:

the diagonal members; substantially as de- WALTER C. HECKER,

scribed. HARRY A. HIPER.

